Hi guys! I'm going to be in the market for a used Prius (Gen II or Gen III) sometime in the next few months. I've never driven a hybrid before. When I shop for traditional used cars I look under the hood, take a test drive, listen for squeaks, rattles, funny noises from the powertrain, etc... but I'm not sure what else needs to be considered when testing out a used hybrid. I've heard of Priuses having problems with their traction battery in the 100K+ mile range, but are there any good techniques to "shake out" these problems on a test drive? Thanks!
Still look under the hood and listen for sounds. Apart from the usual ICE inspection stuff look at the inverter cable. It is bright orange and goes into the inverter assembly. Make sure the insulation is intact and not broken, missing, or taped anywhere visible. Ensure the car is off (not READY) so that the HV battery is disconnected when poking around there. Might want to check the brakes for rust as they rarely ever get used and rust kills them before they wear out. (People are in 100k+ miles with most of their original brakes intact). The problems people have with traction batteries after 100k miles (i.e. the warranty expiration) is similar to the problems people have at 60k when their engines explode on all other vehicles (engine warranty expires). Oh wait, engines don't explode as soon as the warranty expires and toyota engines last to 300k with regular maintenance and keep going. Don't worry about the traction battery. Not to say it can't fail, but it is rare. Consider a replacement battery is $1500, cheaper than a transmission on a normal car. Something I would do to check the traction battery is to simply get up to speed on the interstate fast (punch it) so that the traction battery gets low (1-2 bars which is 40% to 50% full) then take a long offramp and brake very very slowly. You should see the regen kick in and fill 'er up to at least 4 bars. Depending on the length of the onramp. Something else to check is city driving try and empty the HV battery again (drive slow in electric a bit) then brake slowly again from 30-35mph. You should NOT see the battery fill into the green. In general you should rarely see it in green (7-8 bars), and it is happiest around 5-6 bars. Good luck.
The Prius is full of strange noises that are normal for the car. It would take a few weeks of driving a good Prius before you could tell strange normal from strange abnormal. Are there any independent repair shops that cound do the final test for you?
just pay a toyota dealership $80 to $100 for a pre purchase inspection. not only will you then know exactly what is wrong with the car, you can then use that information to negotiate a lower price. I paid $100 for a prius recently and was able to then lower the price another $500, and I know exactly what needs to be repaired immediately and what can wait, its peace of mind, don't cheap out, pay the money, its worth it, no normal person can diagnose a prius w/o special computers and special toyota training. yes, toyota mechanics all go to japan for their 'internship'
Thanks for the great feedback, guys. One more question--does Toyota still put VIN stickers on body panels (front fenders, hood, umpers, trunk lid) like they did in the 90's? That always helped with determining if a vehicle had been in an accident.
Hi! I'm a newbie and just got a 2009 Gen II but had a great tip from a friend. ScanGauge II scanner will display error codes and with the right settings (you can find them in this forum) it will be able to tell how the 12V battery is doing, how HV battery is doing and also what are engine and electric system temps etc. This way I was able to bargain the 12V battery swap as it was showing signs of fading. Hope this helps, Cheers!
agree 100% I would also reset the mileage odo on the central display and go for a good long drive. You should get at least between 40 and 45 mpg if everything is working right.
Not true. For example, most guys on this list are not Toyota hybrid certified. www.[B]hybridcar[/B]s.com/service/preferred-hybrid-shops.html
